Function of the Clicker
Trainer clicks the instant the animal performs the desired behavior.
DRAWBACKS of this method:
It’s a nuisance to carry a clicker and have treats ready.
Although it marks or signifies the instant of success, it’s up to the animal to figure out what he did to earn the click.
You only have one known signal to communicate and all you can communicate with that one signal (sound of clicker) is the instant in time that success takes place.
Even with these drawbacks, no worry, it’s still better than most training methods. So lets move on to the advantages and how it all works.
COMMUNICATION: The sound of the clicker tells the animal the instant it has performed the desired behavior.
MOTIVATION: The clicker marks the instant of success and gives the animal the sensation of food, thus motivating the animal to perform that behavior again.
The click signifies the end, or terminates the behavior. Therefore it is known as a terminal bridge.
The click “bridges” the gap between success and the usual delivery of a positive reinforcer (praise, touch, toss of a ball, reward).
The animal can do whatever he wants after the click, because you are telling him, he has succeeded!
When you click, the animal experiences brain sensations of food in mouth which is an instant reward.
TRAINER RELEVANCE: Using a clicker increases the trainer’s relevance. This is observed when the animals are seen trying to manipulate the trainer to click by performing known behaviors without the trainer asking for them. I refer to this as the animal throwing behaviors at the trainer. When this happens it’s like the dog thinks he is training me to click and I think I’m training the dog to perform a behavior. We both think we are training each other! You can see how noticing this will be relevant if you follow these easy instructions to capture the Down command.
The clicker functions as a conditioned secondary positive reinforcer. I refer to it as a reward marker and use the term “mark”, meaning to click the clicker in the free basic commands instructional articles.
After conditioning, the sound tells the animal the instant it has performed the desired behavior and it gives the animal the sensation of food.
This requires the trainer to know what the instant of success might be for a particular behavior. Sounds easy, but some behaviors such as stay have a duration, making the exact instant of success difficult to determine.
Step One: Condition the Clicker:
Condition the clicker with small tasty food treats. Start with your dog in front of you and treats in a dish on your lap. Click one time, AND THEN gather up a treat and immediately hand your dog the small food treat. Do not speak to your dog during this step and do not aim or motion with the hand holding the clicker.
The goal is to teach the animal that a reward (Food, and eventually Attention, Touch, or access to Territory) is coming after the click. Right now all you are pairing with the sound is a food treat. The sound must precede the presentation and delivery of the treat. In other words do not reach forward with treat and then click. Do not hold the treat in front of your dog then click. Click AND THEN gather a treat and feed it to your dog. You don’t have to race to deliver the treat during this step but you don’t want it to take more than a few seconds. Later, when using the clicker to teach, you can click and deliver the F.A.T. T. up to 30 seconds after the click.
Repeat the sequence 3 times to condition the sound of the clicker.
The end result is the animal will salivate and get the sensation of food whenever you click in the future.
The sound will make the animal feel good, thus causing the animal to become aware of it’s behaviors that make the click happen.
The sound of the click is the actual reward.
Delivering Food Attention, Touch, access to Territory (F.A.T. T.) within 3 -30 seconds after the click keeps the clicker sound relevant.
The clicker will remain conditioned as long as you deliver F.A.T.T. after the click.
Since most dogs love food treats, it’s better to use a food treat after the click when teaching new behaviors.
Rule of thumb is to use a food treat every third time you click known behaviors. There are exceptions of course, every dog is different. Some dogs like praise or touch as much as food. In addition, visit this page about schedules of reinforcement and how to fade the use of the clicker.
Step Two: Using the Clicker:
Click the instant the animal performs the desired behavior. Deliver some version of F.A.T.T. , within 3-30 seconds after the click.
Now you are ready to teach whatever you like. Select the Free Helpful Instructions button on my app for instructions or Shop for the book, Clicking With Your Dog, by Peggy Tillman.